The Bad Girl All The Good Boys Want
by mdiggory
Summary: It is not inertia alone that is responsible for human relationships from repeating themselves from case to case. AU, set during senior year
1. Chapter 1

a/n: I've been feeling a little blocked lately and decided to try a different pairing to get my mojo back. This is an idea that popped into my head and it seems like it may be just the thing to get me back on track. It's AU for reasons you'll soon learn, set during senior year and I suppose the only thing you need to know is that Leyton didn't happen, neither did Naley and the rest is sorta self-explanatory.

**The Bad Girl All The Good Guys Want**

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of the cw and schwahn

Her name was Peyton Sawyer and she was Tree Hill's resident emo chick and self-proclaimed badass.

His name was Nathan Scott and he was made of win. Captain of the basketball team and heir apparent to the Lee-Scott fortune.

Her name was Rachel Gattina and she was a bombshell, beautiful, witty, rich and bitchy

Her name was Brooke Davis and in a word she was a Goddess. One of the prettiest girls you'll ever see up close, kind, brilliant and brave.

Her name was Haley James and to most she was invisible, co-founder of the purity group Clean Teens, she marched to the beat of her own drum

His name was Lucas Scott and he _was_ a Clean Teen, then he crossed paths with Brooke Davis, his half brother's best friend and his life has never been the same

His name was Mouth, actually it's Marvin McFadden and beneath his a/v club geek chic he was a little bit dangerous.

His name was Felix Taggaro and beneath the cocky smile and sculpted physique, he was a total ass.

The ringing of her phone can barely be heard over the latest single from Travis, Peyton rolls over on her side to snatch the cordless from it's base on her nightstand but one look at the caller id and she retracts her hand, sitting back against the headboard of her bed with an annoyed grunt. Her boyfriend Nathan shoots her a quizzical glance, normally he wouldn't pay much attention to his girlfriends poor disposition but for some inexplicable reason Peyton's been extra broody the second he walked through her bedroom door.

Ignoring Nathan's semi-worried expression Peyton breathes a sigh of relief when the ringing finally stops, then she remembers that the answering machine will probably click on and sure enough;

"Peyton," The raspy voice echoes through the room as the cd ends, "I know you're there Goldie Hawn, pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up…" she repeats in a sing-song fashion and the sounds of two other girls giggling in the background simply grates on Peyton's already frayed nerves.

Nathan lunges for the phone before his girlfriend can stop him, "Penelope Cruz, what's shaking?"

"In a few hours Hotshot, my ass on the dance floor." Nathan chuckles and Peyton rolls her eyes. She can almost picture Brooke on the other end of the line, most likely admiring her curvaceous body in a mirror. "If I knew you were there I wouldn't have interrupted."

"Nah, it's cool," he waves off her concern, "we weren't doing anything, so what's up, besides your high opinion of yourself?"

"Rachel and Bevin are in the midst of helping me hijack daddy dearest yacht and we're headed to a White Party in South Beach for a few days. Rach set up a meeting with a rep from Victoria's Secret and if all goes well C/B will be showcased in a mall near you very soon, you two care to join us?"

"Can't, I've got a six a.m. practice tomorrow morning and a little thing called school to attend, you should try it sometimes."

"Don't be so vanilla, Nathaniel."

"Not everyone can be neopolitan, Brookie."

"True, but I prefer chocolate chip cookie dough or maybe just a good swirl?"

"Are you still pissed over Lucas the loser?" Nathan asks, curious about what's behind her almost desperate need to get out of town so early in the school year.

"Nope, I have officially recovered from my descent into lunacy and have decided to celebrate by putting on a pair of my Miu Miu '_Fuck Him'_ stilettos and partying like a rock star." she declares to much applause from Bevin and Rachel.

"Ah the '_Fuck Him'_ heels, those shoes have seen quite a bit of action lately"

"Got a point Scott?"

"Just saying if you need a shoulder, mine are very well defined, I'd offer to kick his ass but after seeing what Gattina did to him I'd doubt there's much left to kick."

"Damn right!" Rachel's disembodied voice sounds through the phone, "Freakshow didn't get nearly half of what he deserved."

Nathan laughs, listening to Brooke struggle to get her phone back from the ardent redhead. "How did she even hear what I said?"

"Bitch has dog ears," Brooke replies, sticking her tongue out at Rachel who then flips her the bird, "anyway we've gotta motor before harbor patrol picks us up for sailing while intoxicated. See ya when we get back, Hotshot."

"Good luck B, call me when you get there safely." hanging up the phone he spies Peyton trying her best to pretend like she wasn't hanging on every single syllable of the conversation with his best friend. "What?"

"Did I say anything?" she snaps

"You didn't have to, I can hear your disapproving thoughts loud and clear."

"Don't you think you're being a little hard on Lucas, I mean he is your brother after all and Brooke is only…"

"Okay let's get one thing straight," Nathan sneers, "that Douchebag is _not_ my brother, he's the end result of a faulty condom. Besides, Brooke has been my best friend since before we could even walk, one would think that as her _other_ best friend you would be on her side as well."

"There are no sides in this mess Brooke created, she was the one who took Rachel up on that stupid bet to seduce a Clean Teen and now we're suppose to feel sorry for her because she may or may not have been pregnant or are we suppose to rally behind her because Lucas finally got a clue and called her on what a whore she is?"

Nathan ran a frustrated hand over his tired face, lately his relationship with Peyton had become monotonous. True she's never been as overtly cheery as Brooke but ever since her mother died eight years ago she has been on a steady decline into the land of perpetual gloominess. Not even her dad remarrying two years ago to a funky art gallery owner named Ellie, seemed to lift her spirits and as far as stepmothers go Ellie is pretty cool.

No matter what Nathan has tried nothing appears to satisfy the blond, if he spends more time with her, she complains that he's being oppressive. If he tries to give her space, she claims that he's avoiding her and his personal favorite are her accusations that he'd rather be sleeping with Brooke. That was one allegation that never failed to make Nathan squirm because it was, in his mind, half true. Brooke has been his best friend for as long as he can recall, the one person who knows the Nathan Scott beneath Tree Hill High's basketball legend and Dan Scott's preferred scion.

She's the girl who will watch the movie, '_Little Shop of Horrors',_ repeatedly with him, laughing hysterically as he belts out the _Dentist_ number and taking her role as Audrey to new heights during _Suddenly Seymour_. He can understand Peyton being a little envious of their close relationship but there are only so many times that he can reassure her that despite a game of, 'show me yours and I'll show you mine', when they were 13 years old, Nathan and Brooke are merely friends.

"You still mad that Brooke chose Gattina to be her co-captain?" Nathan mentally searches his brains rolodex , trying to figure out what's got Peyton's panties in a twist today. "You barely go to practice and when you are there all you do is complain, can you really blame the squad for picking someone whose actually gonna cheer?"

"If they want another perky Brooke Davis cheer-drone then fine by me," lifting an imaginary cup up she mock toasts her fellow squad members, "congratulations cocksucker you've earned it!"

Gathering up his book-bag, Nathan shakes his head taking one last look at his girlfriend. "What the hell happened to you Peyt?" He wonders, "If anyone had spoken about Brooke like that you would have flipped out on them, what's changed between you two?"

"Maybe I've finally saw Brooke for the person she really is?" Peyton tries to simplify the complicated relationship she has with her best friend. Truth is she knows she's being super critical of the girl she once thought of as a sister but lately other mitigating circumstances have caused her to become bitter even just thinking of Brooke.

Growing up it had never bothered her that Brooke came from one of the wealthiest families in town. Peyton's father and later her stepmother Ellie, gave her plenty of love and attention, providing her with whatever essentials she needed, where as Brooke's absentee parents threw cash at her and stuck her with a nanny from a very young age.

Brooke had never let money become a factor in their close knit friendship and Peyton never assumed it would be until she began dating Brooke's other best friend, Nathan Scott. Though to her credit, it's not really Brooke's fault either that Peyton constantly feels insecure about her relationship with the chosen Scott son. It was decided by their well to do parents that Nathan and Brooke would one day marry and merge their respective family fortunes. Even if Brooke casually brushes off all talk of her seemingly set in stone betrothal, it's kinda hard to ignore Dan Scott when he takes every chance he can get to remind Peyton that her place in Nathan's life is merely temporary.

"Look Ellie is working late at the gallery tonight and I have to start dinner so…"

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" hiking his bag up his shoulder Nathan takes one last glance at his girlfriend then exits her room. It doesn't go unnoticed by Peyton that he didn't even attempt to kiss her goodbye.

* * *

"I can't believe those jerks voted you out of being co-captain," Haley exclaims, furiously wiping down the counter while Lucas sweeps the floor of his mother's café. "I mean what do they think this is _Survivor_?"

"Their official party line is that we have a good shot at State this year and feel that both captains need to have leadership _and_ strategical skills to go all the way." Lucas shrugs, trying to pretend that it doesn't hurt to know that even though he bust his butt on the court all last season his fellow teammates still don't consider him one of them.

"So what's the real reason you were decaptainalized?" Haley asks skeptically

"Vegas' father owns that chain of sporting goods stores, '_Mighty Jocks'_, he donated all new fitness equipment and supplies so…" he trails off with another shrug hoping Haley will drop the issue or at the very least not bring up the _other _reason why Lucas was demoted.

Last year when he joined the basketball team his jackass of a half brother had given him a pretty hard time but that pales in comparison to the shit-storm that every member of the team has rained down upon his head because of what went down between him and the captain of the cheerleading squad. Though few know all of the gritty details of why their relationship suddenly imploded, that hasn't stopped the majority of Tree Hill High from siding with the most popular girl in school, while he was left to slink back into the shadows of the Rivercourt.

"Oh I forget to tell you," Haley interrupts his thoughts, "I talked to Shelly and she agreed that even though you're no longer a virgin you can recommit yourself to Clean Teens, sorta like a rebirth of your virginity, isn't that great?" Smiling broadly she fails to see the embarrassment in this situation.

"Hales, I don't think that's such a good idea?"

"Why not?" She asks, perplexed by her friends hesitation to rejoin the abstinence club she co-founded, "If it hadn't of been for those evil succubus cheer-sluts and their stupid _Cherry Picking_ game you'd still be a full fledge member."

"It's not completely her fault Hales, I mean it's not like she forced me or anything." Lucas shuffles his feet and rubs the back of his neck nervously. This is the last thing he wants to discuss with Haley, for all of her brains and compassion she has some sort of mental block when it comes to the popular kids at their school, especially Brooke Davis. If Lucas was more courageous he'd say Haley was jealous of the beautiful brunette.

Haley emits a very unladylike snort, moving around the counter to clear off a table near the front of the small café, she continues her tirade on the dangers of getting caught in the black widows web of deceit.

"From what I've heard about what goes on at those parties she throws, I wouldn't be surprised if she drugged you just to get you into her bed."

He wants to tell Haley that she's wrong in her assessment of the brunette, that the _real_ Brooke Davis is nothing like the shallow, callous self-absorbed character she is forced to portray in this small town's public eye. Lucas wants to tell Haley that the two and a half months he spent getting to know the true face behind the beautiful mask was the most exhilarating 77 days of his young life and he curses his unresolved daddy issues for the detriment of their failed romance. But he's not brave, he can't afford to alienate his only true ally, so he won't stand up for the one girl his heart beats for.

"…and really Luke," Haley rambles on unaware that Lucas was no longer listening, "with her reputation you had every right to doubt if the baby was yours."

a/n: alright, not really sure where this is going but I was jonesin for a little Brathan love and this is what came out. Let me know if I should continue?


	2. Chapter 2

**The Bad Girl All The Good Boys Want**

a/n: Okay, if this chapter seems a bit disjointed it's because I wrote sections of it on post it notes and when I got to my computer to type it out, I realized that I mixed the order up, sorry. Anything you're not clear on just email me and I'll try to explain without giving away too much.

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of the CW and Schwahn

Chapter 2: The Comotion

**Five Months Ago…**

With junior year almost over, the quad of Tree Hill High School is littered with booths and representatives from the tri-state areas universities. Haley James lives for these days where she can flaunt her stellar G.P.A. and cement the plans for her future. Flipping through a brochure for Duke University, she smiles brightly at the twenty-something blond woman standing behind the table handing out Blue Devil pins.

"Are you interested in applying to Duke?" she asks in an annoying high pitched super peppy voice.

"Ever since I was 3 years old!" Haley gushes, nervously rumpling the colorful brochure in her hands. "I was thinking of majoring in education, though I haven't decided if it will be on the secondary school level or if I'll pursue a Master's degree and become a Professor…" the rep politely nods along as Haley continues to ramble excitedly. A flash of red out of the corner of her eyes has the blond cutting her off mid-sentence to call out into the crowd.

"Brooke Davis, I was wondering if I'd get a chance to see you today?" she beckons Brooke and Rachel Gattina over to her booth, giving each girl a hug and one of those fake cheek kisses. As the three fall into a comfortable conversation about some yacht club charity event coming up, Haley fumes that she has once again been shoved out into the cold. Scowling, she balls the brochure in her fist and storms away, even more pissed that no one notices her departure.

"I can't believe that B.I.T.C.H. just usurped my conversation with the Duke rep, the nerve of her!" Haley seethes to her friend Shelly over by the University of North Carolina's booth.

"So, just go back over there and tell her you're actually interested in applying to Duke." Shelly replies in a bored tone. She's spent the past three years listening to Haley gripe about Brooke Davis and her gaggle of hanger-on's and it stopped being amusing midway through freshman year.

"Like it's going to make a difference," Haley snorts, "_Princess Penelope _does whatever she wants and gets away with it, even giving the Principal a hand job to get out of in-school suspension."

"Weren't you the one who started that rumor?" Shelly questions with a shake of her head, sometimes it's hard to take the girl seriously when she insists on perpetuating the stereotypical 'girl on the outside looking in' nonsense.

"Yes, but for all we know it could have been true." Haley argues

"All it did was make Brooke even more popular than she already was," Shelly says, "and that bunch of wannabe's hit on Mr. Turner any chance they get."

"Urg, we need to stop those twisted Zombie Cheer Tramps before this epidemic spreads any further!" the petite blond shouts

"What do you suggest, so far they all appear impervious to sunlight, garlic, and silver bullets?"

"We've got to dig deep, hit em' where it hurts! I want to play an intricate part in Brooke Davis' degradation." ringing her small hands menacingly, Haley casts another glare to the object of her loathing laughing without a care in the world. Bitch.

Rachel spies the pair eyeing her and Brooke from across the quad, nudging her companion she juts her chin slightly in their direction. "Those weirdo Clean Teen freaks are staring at you again."

Brooke's hazel eyes sweep the crowd and land on the co-founders of the school's abstinence club. She offers them a small smile only to receive a dirty look in return, so she rolls her eyes and continues pouring the dressing over her salad.

"Those two aren't fooling anyone with their 'Virgins 4 Life' crap," Rachel scoffs, "they're clearly _boner_ _dykes_."

"And what, may I ask is a _boner dyke_?" Brooke asks her friend

"Girls who'll make out with each other just to attract guys." Rachel responds without batting an eyelash.

"That has got to be the most retarded thing that's come out of your mouth all day." Brooke laughs, smacking Rachel's arm playfully.

"Well it's only 12:46, I've still got a few more hours to shock and appall." the redhead smirks and returns to her untouched lunch. "Have you finished those sketches, I need to send them off this weekend if we want the line finish by your show?"

"Yeah about that," Brooke squirms in her seat, "I'm not so sure this is such a great idea, Rach."

"Oh God, don't start this crap again." Rachel rolls her eyes at her friend's insecurity, " You are an incredible designer Brooke and you're definitely going to land this contract."

"Stitching together warm-up tracksuits and cheer uniforms hardy makes me a designer."

"True you have to learn more about your craft," Rachel concedes, "but Brooke you're a natural and that dress you made for the junior prom is gorgeous. Don't doubt yourself, you get enough of that from everyone else in this small minded town."

**September, Senior Year**

As the late summer sun sets over the river, Lucas stands captivated by the golden hue painted across his beloved court. Sighing, he bounces the ball idly between his legs, normally a quiet game would help clear his mind and put things into perspective but tonight all thoughts seem to lead back to one, Brooke Davis.

At the start of the summer Lucas attended the annual Boy's Varsity Basketball and Cheer Squad retreat for the very first time. He had left the earsplitting party in favor of a quiet walk along the lake only to come across the beautiful brunette in a heated argument with someone on her cell. Hidden in the shadows of a cluster of trees, he listened while Brooke defended herself tirelessly to the person on the other end of the line and when she appeared to not be making any leeway, the girl growled in frustration and hurled her very expensive cell phone into the dark depths of the lake.

"Fanfuckingtastic." she sighs, watching the ripples spread out across the waters surface. She's just about to attempt diving in after her lost electronic when the snapping of a twig sounds loudly behind her. Turning she finds a head of spiky blond hair half concealed behind a tree trunk sheepishly slipping out of his hiding place.

"S-sorry," the boy stutters, " I wasn't spying on you or doing anything creepy."

"It's always been my experience that when someone readily admits that they _weren't_ doing anything creepy it's because they truly _are_." Brooke raises a suspicious eyebrow, wondering how much of her phone call he's overheard.

"Then that would really speak to _your_ character and the company _you_ keep rather than calling my idiosyncrasies into question." Lucas ducks his head, suddenly remembering who he's getting mouthy with and that one word from her could make his life at Tree Hill High a living hell, even more so than usual.

Brooke smirks at the boy, daring him to speak to her like that again.

"Well if you weren't honing you Jason Voorhees skills, then what are you doing out here all by your lonesome, Luis?"

"It's Lucas." He corrects, disappointed that she mispronounces his name. He really shouldn't be surprised, this is probably the longest time outside of a classroom that they have spent in each others company. But after last Wednesday, in study hall when Brooke stopped his evil half brother and his brainless goons from tormenting him simply by touching the basketball captain's shoulder, coquettishly demanding that Nathan entertain her, Lucas harbored the fantasy that Brooke came to his rescue out of the goodness of her heart. Maybe Haley was right and she didn't have a heart?

Watching a look of sadness wash over his fair chiseled features, Brooke mentally kicks herself for being rude to the boy. She knows who he is, Nathan _is_ her best friend after all, Brooke knows he's the disposable Scott and therefore she should not be associating with the boy from the other side of the tracks.

Some days she really hates being a Trust Fund Baby, the unwritten code all of the elite must constantly adhere to weights heavily on her dainty shoulders, suffocating her to the point of desolation. But she can't be gloomy, no that's Peyton's thing, Brooke has to be cheery because what could someone like her, who has the whole world bowing at her $600 designer shoes have to frown about?

"I'm not much of a party animal." He explains, nodding his head back at the cabin brimming with drunken rowdy teenagers.

"Could have fooled me." she replies with a teasing smile that illuminates her dimpled cheeks.

Lucas turns away quickly, well aware of what that smile was capable of doing to a man and he'd rather not spray his shorts while the most popular girl in town was trying to carry a conversation with him. Taking a seat on a large rock at the edge of the lake, he waits for reality to set in and Brooke to realize exactly whom she's speaking to but is pleasantly surprised as her elbow nudges him over the surface of the smooth rock and she settles herself comfortably upon it.

"That was my mother on the phone," Brooke admits in a voice laced with sadness. "apparently my grades this semester were less than stellar and my dad is gonna have to…I dunno, donate a new science building to appease the Ivy League God's or something."

Lucas stays quiet not knowing how to respond to that. On the one hand it is so unbelievably unfair that her parents can buy her way into any university they choose, while he and his mother both have to work their fingers to the bone just so he can attend a state school. Then he recalls her side of the phone call and the clear desperation in her voice as she begged her mother for a little understanding.

Brooke then spoke of the very high expectation her parents demanded of her and how they continued to be disappointed when she didn't reach them. She talked for over an hour about her fears and secret dreams of breaking free from her societies iron fist.

Lucas blushed profusely when she told him that she admires his strength and the courage it takes to put up with Nathan's bullying and Dan's neglect. By the time he walked her back to her cabin she considered him a friend and five days later on the last night of the retreat she had taken his virginity.

Of course Haley was against their union from the beginning, prophesizing that no good comes from intermingling with _that_ crowd. Lucas tried to reason that he had been on the basketball team since the season started, mingling with the others and still walked away with his soul intact. Haley scoffed, citing that just because he made a few baskets doesn't mean they've accepted him as one of their own, unlike his friend Mouth who has somehow managed to straddle the line of the popular's on the Hill and the rejects down by the River-court. But Lucas hasn't seen much of his quirky wide smile friend since Haley rudely referred to him as Nathan Scott's jock strap.

And Haley was equally hard on Brooke, making snide comments whenever his girlfriend would come around, trying her best to undermine their relationship and even going so far as calling Brooke out on her promiscuity in front of his mother and Uncle Keith.

But Brooke took it all in stride, never letting the tawny haired blond get to her. Brooke had even managed to shock and impress his mother one night at dinner while Haley was being especially cruel by quoting Anais Nin "We don't see things as they are, we see things as _we_ are." effectively throwing the self-righteous girl off kilter for the rest of the evening.

Later that night as he walked her to her car, Lucas sheepishly admitted that he didn't know she was so well read. Brooke took the slight insult with a grain of salt, stating that she only knows it because it was a line from one of her favorite movies and the truth of the thirteen word statement seemed to rang true to her.

Lucas grinned brightly at the brunette, floored once again as he peeled another layer from the mysterious onion that was Brooke Davis.

Those days were brilliant, Lucas muses dropping the ball and taking a seat on the rickety old picnic table. But just like everything else in his life, it all turned to a flaming bag of shit.

Not used to being bested by someone she considered her intellectual inferior, Haley set out on a one woman quest to slay the wicked prom queen. She wholeheartedly investigated every morsel of info she could dredge up on Brooke and just when it looked as though her efforts were for naught, she hit the mother-load of gossip in the form of the asinine Tim Smith.

"Bravo Haley," Brooke congratulates the spiteful girl, "this is what you've wanted from the second Lucas and I got together. You must be tickled pink, right about now."

"Don't try to blame this on me," Haley yells back at the cheer captain while Lucas struggled to keep them apart. "you're the one who competed in that depraved game, not that it comes as any surprise to me."

"Oh that's right," Brooke sneers, "I'm a _Bad Girl _out to corrupt your precious Lucas. Why don't you cut the bullshit and admit to Lucas why your _soooo_ interested in his love life, huh?!"

"Love life, don't flatter yourself honey even an animal wouldn't turn away a _free ride_." Haley scoffs

"Enough!" Lucas shouts above the catty insults, making sure that Haley would stay put in her corner Lucas turns to his girlfriend, the hurt evident on his face. "Is it true Brooke, just look me in the eyes and tell me that everything we shared wasn't part of some stupid game?"

Brooke stares him down incredulously, how dare he ask her if all the secrets she confided in him, all the whispered endearments all the hopes and dreams she's never even shared with Nate or Rachel was part of some ruse set in motion to cause him further embarrassment in front of their peers. Looking at the stranger in front of her Brooke can't even find it in herself to fight back.

"You know what Luke," her raspy voice quivers with the effort not to cry in front of these people. "if you have to ask me that, then you don't deserve an answer." With as much dignity as she can muster, Brooke raises her head and exits Lucas' home.

That was nearly two weeks ago and as the new school year started Lucas found himself right back where he started, Tree Hill's resident bastard child. Rubbing his face roughly to erase all signs of tears, the distinct sound of high heel shoes falling upon the asphalt jerks his head in her direction. Eleven steps and she's standing before him looking exhausted and anxious at the same time. She doesn't speak but the fact that she has sought him out is almost enough to make Lucas forgive any and all transgression she may have committed. He smiles and reaches out to run his calloused fingertips across her soft skin but she pulls back from his touch, looks down at her ridiculously priced shoes, takes a deep breath before lifting her head and shattering the stillness surrounding them.

"Luke…I think I'm pregnant."

That stupid smile is still plastered on his face and no matter how hard he tries, the words just don't compute. Pregnant…with child…as in unwed teenage mother…as in _his_ unwed teenage mother. And for the very first time in his life Lucas felt empathy for Dan Scott.

"Stop alright!" He barks, startling the girl who has never so much as heard him raise his voice before, "Just stop, the jig is up Haley explained everything to me, all the sordid details of your little game. So what's this suppose to be, huh? The bonus round?"

"What?"

"Oh don't even try to play dumb sweetheart, I know all about your twisted game, 'Cherry Picking'" he snorts in distaste, "It's not even clever. You know what is wrong with you people? What you think that just because your bank accounts are bigger and and your houses are fancier that it gives you the right to treat those less fortunate like dirt?"

Brooke stands there slack-jawed as the boy she cared so deeply for accused her of such terrible treachery.

"Haley warned me, over and over again," He continued to rant, "that nothing good would come of getting mixed up with the likes of Brooke Davis…well she was right. I bet the baby isn't even mine." the instant those words left his mouth Lucas prayed for the ability to chew them back.

Brooke looked as though she'd been kicked in the stomach with a steel-toed boot. Choking back a sob, she lifts her right hand and smacks Lucas across his face. His head snaps to the side and she strikes him again, cutting his upper lip on the emerald gemstone of her ring.

His ears are ringing but not loud enough to cover the echoing clack of her heels as Brooke walks out of his life.

* * *

Rachel was pissed, no scratch that and rewind. Rachel was _infuriated_. Last night she was startled from a restful slumber by the persistent ringing of her doorbell, dragging her still half drunk body down the stairs she peeked through the window ready to read her midnight caller the riot act, though the visage of a petite female leaning against her door was all she could make out in the dark, instinctively she knew it was Brooke. Swinging the door open the brunette nearly collapsed in her arms overcome in a fit of anguished cries. It had taken the better part of the night to piece together the puzzle and when Brooke finally agreed to take the 5 milligrams of Zoloft Rachel fished out of her mother's medicine cabinet, Rachel held her friend in her arms gently rocking the broken girl to sleep.

Now three hours later, Rachel leans against the driver's door of her Denali SUV, arms crossed and methodically tapping her index finger on her elbow. Those who would normally stop to say hi or even flirt with the beautiful cheerleader cut a wide breadth to keep from setting her off. It was clear to everyone who had the guts to look her way, that the redhead was a ticking time bomb.

Lucas did not want to get up this morning, as a matter of fact he was seriously contemplating spending the rest of his life right here in this full sized bed. But his mother, Karen had a more ambitious future for her only child and forced the sulky teenager out of his room and off to school. He had no choice really, cutting school was something Lucas had never attempted in his life, plus there was a quiz in AP English covering his summer reading list that he couldn't afford to miss.

As the smelly yellow school bus noisily grinds to a halt in front of the school, Lucas listlessly shuffles down the steps only to be blindsided by Rachel Gattina's fist. He staggers to the side from the impact and the redheaded Amazonian throws punch after powerful punch until three of his fellow classmates overcome their laughing fit and takes pity on him, pulling the girl off. He's vaguely cognizant of Haley telling a teacher that Rachel attacked him without provocation, then being ushered to the nurses office.

Sitting on the brown examination table, ruffling the protective paper cover Lucas holds a quickly melting icepack to his throbbing, swollen face. He can barely stay conscious long enough to peer through his black eye at the clock hanging on the wall. Laughing bitterly only causes the bruises he didn't know he acquired on his ribs to ache as he notes that he missed the English quiz anyway.

By lunch the entire school will be abuzz with how Lucas Scott got the ever loving shit beat out of him by Rachel Gattina. He should have seen this coming, really but he was too focus on his own misery and on the look out for Nathan wanting retribution for the shitty treatment of his best friend to remember that while Nathan may be cast in the role of Brooke's protector, it was Rachel who was considered _'The Enforcer.'" _

a/n: So before anyone gets all offended by certain terms used the term boner dyke was from and article I read and the lesbian leader of this band I can't recall the name of at the moment, refers to Katy Perry and her song 'I Kissed A Girl' as offensive. I though it was hilarious so I used it here and I totally agree that the song was stupid and mildly offensive because the record label immediately began to put a positive straight spin on the whole thing and her parents started ranting that being a pop star was corrupting their sweet innocent child, whatever.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Bad Girl All The Good Boys Want**

a/n: I have been working on this chapter for like a month and didn't want to post it because the middle section sort of defines the direction the story would take and I wasn't sure to what degree Brathan would end up being involved. So here is draft…3 I think, enjoy.

**Disclaimer: All Characters are the property of the CW and Schwahn**

**Chapter 3: See the Truth**

On her way home, Rachel stops at the local drugstore to purchase several pregnancy tests, she pulls into her driveway just as Nathan climbs out of his truck.

"Hey Holyfield," Nathan greets with his trademark smirk, "how many did you get?"

"3 days." Rachel shrugs nonchalantly, causing Nate to do a double take.

"Suspended for 3 days, why so harsh?"

"Turner was mad cause I refused to admit why I so '_viciously attacked' _the little nabnob." she flippantly responds

"And that reason is…?"

Rachel tips the brown paper bag in her hand so that the younger Scott brother could peek inside.

"Yeah, I figured as much." Nathan sighs, placing his hand on the small of Rachel's back he leads her to the house so she can unlock the front door. They find Brooke in the parlor, sitting crossed legged on the couch mindlessly flipping through mid morning television.

Nathan takes a seat beside her, gently removing the remote from her slacken hand and shutting off the t.v. Rachel perches herself on the couch arm curiously watching the pair. Brooke looks so fragile that Nathan wants to rip that bastard limb from limb. Her vacant eyes are bloodshot and puffy, hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. He can kick himself for agreeing to lay off the asshole at Brooke's request. Brushing a tendril of hair from her misty hazel eyes, Nathan prepares himself for what's next.

"I uh…I know that we never really talk about this," clearing his throat nervously, he looks her straight in the eyes, "especially because Peyton gets all jealous and shit but we both know that it's a sure thing and I…well I want to move it up a few years." Digging into the pocket of his cargo shorts, Nathan balances a small black velvet box on his large palm as he slides off the couch and crouches on bended knee before her.

Tears cascade down her face like white water rapids. Brooke is so overwhelmed by the depth of his friendship that she can barely speak.

"So what do ya say Brooke, will you marry me?" Nathan looks up at the beautiful brunette hopefully.

"Nathan…" her baby doe eyes close briefly before focusing on him with such sadness it makes his chest contract.

"No one will have to know it's not mine and if you're worried about how much I hate that fucker's guts, I swear to you Brooke I will love and protect this kid as if he were my own." he pleads earnestly.

"It is kinda perfect Brooke," Rachel adds placing a supportive hand on her friend's shoulder. "The kid would have nearly the same DNA as Nate and unless he pops out sporting blond hair, no one would question it."

Cupping Nathan's handsome face with trembling hands, Brooke leans forward and kisses his lips softly, resting their foreheads together. Nathan swallows thickly, not yet ready to discern why his stomach is twisting in knots at his friends proximity.

"You, Nathan Scott, are the most amazing man I have ever known and I love you for wanting to take care of me but it's not necessary." Brooke declares, her raspy voice just above a opens his mouth to protest but she shushes him with a finger on his lips.

"I'm not pregnant…my cycle started just this morning."

Rachel heaves a sigh of relief, not that she wouldn't stand by her best friend if Brooke had been pregnant, it just makes for a less complicated future that she's not with child. Not to mention the nuclear explosion sure to ravage their little town when Nathan explained to his _'Emily the Strange' _girlfriend that he was marrying Brooke and raising Lucas' child as his own. Actually that might be fun, Rachel chuckles to herself and takes a moment to imagine the bleach bottle blonds head imploding, splaying brain matter everywhere.

Rachel watches as Nate engulfs Brooke in a bear hug, whispering comforting words in her ear. When it comes to his best friend, there is a whole other side to Nathan Scott that few ever get to witness. Maybe this is the catalyst that will solidify the impending relationship that Brooke and Nathan are destined for. Now that Rachel knows for sure that Nate is willing to go the distance for their friend, she intends to employ every trick in her arsenal to ensure Brathan happens.

* * *

**Three Weeks Later…**

"Evening Sawyers," skipping into the kitchen of her best friend's home, Brooke merrily greets Peyton and her stepmother Ellie.

"Hi Brooke, are you staying for dinner?" Ellie asks, furrowing her brow at Peyton who gives her a disgruntle glare.

"No thanks Ellie," Brooke declines, unaware of Peyton's displeasure of the invite, "the 'rents are in town for their bi-monthly visit so I have to play 'Happy Family' for a few days which includes sitting through the worlds most tense dinner at _Chateau Davis_."

"So what are you doing here?" Peyton rudely asks and get's even more annoyed when the brunette doesn't pick up on her unwelcoming tone.

"Actually, I'm looking for your boy toy. Nate's not answering his cell."

"Well, I'm not hiding him under my apron." Peyton replies, she rolls her eyes and opens the kitchen cabinet to retrieve the dinner plates. _Figures the only reason she stops by is to look for my boyfriend._

"Alrighty, if you see him let him know that I'll be getting ready over at Gattina's so just have the limo pick me up there? Oh, wait until you see my dress it's sooo fetch" Brooke squeals, oblivious to the storm raging within the blond.

"The limo for what?" Peyton narrows her eyes at the bubbly brunette

"The Museum Gala on Friday?" Brooke replies in a 'no duh' tone of voice, "I worked on this dress for like a month, it's a gold, silk strapless number with a tiered panel and skirt. Damn, I got so caught up in making mine and Rach's that I totally spaced on yours, do you need to go shopping, you probably have a dress by now, so what color is it?" rambling off the questions excitedly

"I'm not wearing one." the blond states coldly

"How very 'Emperor's New Clothes' of you?" Brooke laughs, "Seriously, what color is your dress, cause I picked up these gorgeous Zac Posen shoes while we were in Miami last week so you can…"

"I didn't buy some wildly expensive gown that I'll wear once then shove into the back of my closet, because I have no idea what gala you're talking about!" Peyton exclaims, her face flushing red with anger. She should be used to this by now but every time her boyfriend invites her best friend to some posh society shindig, a little piece of her already frosty heart drops several more degrees.

"Oh, I just thought that…" Brooke backpedals for an answer that won't cause her to take a fatal step into the minefield that is her friends chaotic relationship. "I mean, it's another lame-o party thrown by a bunch of stuffy shirts, only reason I'm going is cause my dad wants to play nice to impress his board members. I'm sure Nathan just forgot to…"

"Don't make excuses, we both know what's really going on here Brooke." Peyton vehemently snaps at her friend.

"Look Peyt, I've told you like a million times Nate and I are just…"

"Friends? Sure keep telling yourself that." A month ago an incident such as this may not of affected her so much, Hell even two weeks ago she wouldn't have made a big deal of it but ever since the nasty breakup of Brooke and Lucas, Nathan has been extra attentive to her best friend. He has diligently responded to Brooke's every call, sometimes even leaving Peyton hanging to check up on the brunette but Brooke was going through some heavy stuff and Peyton wanted to give them both the benefit of the doubt, that is until she overheard Nathan's uncle Cooper asking him about his great aunt's three carat engagement ring that was suddenly extracted from the family safety deposit box.

"We are Peyton, you know that I would never do anything to hurt you. How about I take out you Saturday, that grubby little band you obsess over is playing in Charlotte and guess who scored backstage passes?" raising her balled fist Brooke waits patiently for the blond to mimic her actions and let's out a sigh of relief after Peyton does so, albeit with much reluctance. '_Hoe's over bro's.' _Man, that motto was sinking fast_._

"NOFX?" Peyton cracks a small smile at her friends enthusiasm to repair the cracks in their friendship.

"Yup, so make sure you wear something slutty with comfortable shoes and Rachel will swing by to get you at…"

"I should have known," Peyton snorts, returning to setting the dinner table, "God forbid we go anywhere without your entourage."

"Rachel is the one who got us the tickets, you know I really don't understand what you have against her?"

"She's such a stuck up conceited little…"

"She's my friend Peyt," Brooke sighs, tired of Peyton's petty squabbling over every little thing, "look I really don't have the time to argue about this, my mother's gonna start blowing up my phone any minute now if I don't get home so… call me later if you change your mind."

As Brooke exists through the back door, Peyton diligently ignores the looks her stepmother throws at her from across the room. Knowing from experience that her stepdaughter won't iniate the conversation, Ellie decides to plow forward and not pull any punches.

"It's a wonder you have any friends at all with that kind of attitude."

Peyton grits her teeth, forcing herself to remain impassive and not rise to the bait. Normally she has a very good relationship with Ellie but the older woman has a nasty habit of cutting through all of her bullshit and making Peyton face what is staring her dead in the face.

"You've been unusually cold towards Brooke lately and even though she doesn't acknowledge it…"

"He's in love with her." Peyton blurts out, as soon as the words leave her mouth she feels even more certain of the truth.

"And how does Brooke feel?" Ellie asks and Peyton notes that she didn't try to dispute the claim.

"She's still hung up on the other one." Or at least Peyton hopes she is, Brooke hasn't been confiding in her much lately, so it's harder to get a definitive read on her once close friend. "The only reason Nathan is with me still is cause it irks his dad. If Dan Scott wasn't such a control freak, living through his son, maybe there could have been a real chance for us."

"So why put yourself in the middle of all of this Peyton, clearly it's making you unhappy." Ellie searches the young girls eyes, pleading with Peyton to stop the self-inflicted torture.

"Cause, if I'm not Nathan's girlfriend or Brooke's best friend then I don't know who I am."

* * *

"Come on Brookie, I had no idea that my dad was gonna have all that printed, I'm sorry okay?"

"You're sorry?" she asks, looking down on Nathan from her second floor balcony Brooke raises a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yes, deeply, unequivocally sorry." placing a hand over his heart to emphasize just how remorseful he is.

"Then you'd have no problem expressing just how _sorry_ you are, right?" She smirks as his eyes narrow warily at her.

"No not that!"

"You want me to believe you right?"

"Oh come on Brooke…" Nathan kicks at the ground, pouting.

"Better get started." Her voice saccharine sweet as she gets comfortable, resting her elbows on the balcony ledge.

Nathan shoots her the evil eye and then begins to perform the embarrassing apology song and dance they made up as kids. As the dance draws to a close, he can't keep the smile caused by Brooke's infectious laughter from spreading across his face.

"So now that I have sufficiently humiliated myself, will you let me in?"

Brooke taps her chin with a well manicured finger, pondering his request she heaves a great sigh and concedes.

"I suppose you can be forgiven." After all, it was his father and possibly hers that landed Brooke and Nathan on the front page of the newspapers society page, proclaiming to the hundreds of subscribers that they were a match made in heaven. Brooke really had no call to be angry with Nathan, he's the one in a relationship which will undoubtedly suffer for his father's latest ploy to gain more notoriety in Tree Hill's high society. She crinkles her nose just then, wondering why Nathan is at her house begging for her forgiveness instead of with his girlfriend, assuring Peyton that he's completely committed to her.

"Hey!" Nathan whistles sharply to gain her attention, "doors still locked."

Brooke shakes the weird thoughts of why she's secretly pleased that Nathan is here with her instead of Peyton, from her head. She smiles as a wicked idea forms in her head and calls down to Nathan that she'll be right there.

Nathan nods, turning around to gaze at the vast expanse of finely mowed grass that spreads across the Davis estate. He's suddenly jarred from his musings as a bundle of creamy skinned limbs soars over his head and crashes into the swimming pool in front of him with a splash. Panic surges through his entire body as he realizes that Brooke took a header off of her second floor balcony straight into the pool.

"What the hell!" Nathan screams as her head breaks through the waters surface. "Do you have a death wish Davis? What if you had missed the pool, I'd be scraping your brains off of the limestone!"

"Oh come on Nate," Brooke rolls her eyes at his theatrics, "this isn't the first time I've done that."

Nathan snaps his jaw shut to keep from asking how many times has she tried something so dangerously stupid when he wasn't there to look out for her. Instead he pushes away the overwhelming crush of concern and fear to ask her how they're suppose to get back into the house if the door is still locked.

"Simple, Abuela is inside making dinner, she'll open the door when I'm ready to come in." Brooke replies, lazily floating on her back as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"You're housekeeper was here the entire time and couldn't let me in?" Nathan incredulously asks the smirking girl.

"Uh uh, only when it was funny." Brooke laughs at the severely pissed off look on the brunette's face, knowing through years of friendship that he can never stay mad at her for very long. Sure enough, less than thirty seconds of intense scowling, Nathan cracks a grin that sends a shiver down Brooke's spine.

"Whatever nutjob. What's Abuela cooking, I'm starved?" Nathan asks, casting a glance back to the house. Brooke's elderly Hispanic housekeeper affectionately dubbed Abuela, was an amazing caregiver, her loving grandmotherly disposition one of the reasons that she has managed to stay in the Davis' employ since Brooke was five years old. Nathan has spent many a night dinning with Brooke over a delicious meal when her folks were out of town and since his mom is in Charlotte on business for the foundation, that means his dad is in charge of dinner and Nathan can't stomach another night of red hot sausages and greasy fries.

"I asked Abuela to set a place for you," Brooke announces, she swims to the edge of the pool lifting her hand out at him, "help me outta here so we can go eat?"

Nathan moves towards the pool but draws back at the last moment, suspicion clouding his face.

"How do I know you're not gonna pull me in there?"

"You don't," Brooke smiles insolently at his trepidation, "but I told Abuela to only open the door at my request so…" leaving the statement open for him to draw his own conclusions. Nathan eyes her hand warily, reaching out his hand to help her out of the pool, he has just enough time to take a deep breath as Brooke yanks on his arm with surprising strength and he goes flailing into the cool water.

Nathan cuts off Brooke's boisterous laughter at his expense by tugging on her legs and dunking her head beneath the water. They splash around in the pool until their fingers begin to prune, the sun has set over an hour ago and a cold breeze forces the pair to retreat into the house.

Dinner was excellent, after throwing his wet clothes in the laundry and slipping on a pair of pajama pants he wasn't aware that he left in her house, Nathan cuddles up to his best friend on her couch in the media room to watch reruns of Firefly on the plasma screen.

Nathan jerks awake to the sound of music faintly playing, unwrapping his arm from the blanket to check his watch he taps at the face, confused as to why it doesn't appear to be functioning, then he remembers. Coming over to Brooke's after his fight and breakup with Peyton over the picture of the two brunettes in the paper, their little dip in the pool, having an enjoyable dinner and falling asleep on the Davis' couch while they watched a dvd of their favorite show together. Staring down at the beautiful girl snuggled up to his side, Nathan hates that he has to disturb her peaceful slumber, especially because he knows she hasn't been sleeping well the last few weeks thanks to his jackass of a half brother breaking her heart.

But the clock over the fireplace says that it's already after seven, so Nathan sighs and shakes her awake.

"Hey Brookie," he whispers gently, laughing when she burrows under the blanket trying to drown out his voice, "come on sleeping beauty we're going to be late for school and I know if you're late again this semester you'll end up getting an in-school suspension." A day spent in school but confined to one classroom all day was enough to instill fear in the girl and she hops from the couch walking unsteadily towards the kitchen to start the espresso machine.

Nathan makes his way upstairs to her bedroom, thinking it would be best to shower before Brooke since she takes an eternity in the bathroom. As he turns the shower on, stepping under the quickly warming spray Nathan can't imagine why Brooke spends to much time making herself up when she is widely considered a natural beauty. Distracted by these bewildering new thoughts of his best friend's appearance, he doesn't hear the shower door open and close and does not notice the slim figure that shimmy's under the showerhead beside him while his eyes were closed.

"Jesus Brooke!" Nathan exclaims, rising the soap out of his eyes to make sure he's seeing correctly. "What are you doing?"

"This is _my_ shower you're hogging," Brooke explains, as if it's the most normal thing in the world to be naked in his presence, "we're gonna be late, so I figured I better get a move on."

"Your house has like six bathrooms." Nathan continues to protest, turning his head away sharply as Brooke begins to lather her full breast.

"Water pressure is better in here." she shrugs, she bends over to wash her legs and feet then hands him her loofa and presenting him with her back, "since you're here…" giving Nathan an expected look over her shoulder.

Nathan swallows harshly, squeezing the loofa in his hand as he feels himself growing harder by the second. '_This is so gonna end badly'_, he thinks, raising his hand and wiping it across her back.

Brooke is startled by his feathery soft touch as he washes her back. Out of all of the guys she's ever slept with none has shown her the gentleness that Nathan has as he runs the soapy loofa up and down her spine. For years she has mistaken his reproach as simply not being attracted to her but the smoldering look in his deep blue eyes and the feel of his body stirring awake against her hip is all the information she needs.

Turning back to face him, she removes the loofa from his grasp and uses it to wash over his well define chest, lower to his tight abs and hovering just above his rock hard erection, daring him to make the next move.

'_I tried,_' Nathan reasons with himself, '_I really, really tried to resist'_ but how can one resist temptation staring him directly in the eye. His resolve snaps when Brooke gives him that devilish dimpled smile and without a thought of the consequences, his lips crash down upon hers.

Brooke moans deeply into his mouth as his tongue licks her bottom lip, asking for permission to enter. Her hands encircle his neck and Nathan hoists her slippery body up into his arms, pressing her back into the tiled wall never breaking the insatiable kiss.

Nathan tightens his hold around her, using the cold tile wall for balance he lifts Brooke into the air and in one agonizingly slow move, impales the brunette onto his long thick cock. The air in his lunges gushes out in a harsh breath as he buries himself to the hilt in her welcoming body. Her inner walls give him a squeeze and he snaps his jaw shut tight to keep from finishing too soon.

Shifting her weight, Nathan pulls out slowly then glides back in, his hips jerking with the effort to make each pleasurable second last. Brooke's raspy moans echoes off the walls in the enclosed space sending lighting bolts of desire down his spine. When Brooke angles her hips, rotating then clenching his cock Nathan's eyes roll back into his skull and he curses loudly before capturing her mouth in a searing kiss.

The cold water beats down on their joined bodies but all Nathan can feel is the heat radiating from every nerve under his skin. It's almost as if his body has a mind of it's own, surging into Brooke with abandon, knowing the precise place to touch, taste, bite as if they've done this erotic dance a million times before. As much as he would love for this to go on forever, Nathan can feel the exquisite pressure building within him, he peels one arm from around her waist, determined that she find release when he does but swallows back a whine as Brooke's tiny hand reaches between their wet bodies to furiously rub her clit. Her moans have become full on screams and Nathan pounds harder into her sweet cunt, his mouth can't decide between suckling her breast or engaging her tongue in another battle so he settles for attaching his lips to her swan-like neck, grunting primitively while Brooke's nails of her free hand claws at his shoulder. Her thighs are locked in a vice grip around his hips, heels pushing his clenching ass, urging him in as deep as he can go. Her body begins to convulse wildly and he has to strengthen his grip around her to keep Brooke from slipping out of his grasp.

Brooke throws her head back as she finds release, his name repeatedly pouring from her luscious lips is the sexiest thing he has ever heard in his entire existence and Nathan comes with a roar, screaming out Brooke's name as his body spasms uncontrollably.

His eyes are screwed shut, blood thundering in his ears and Nathan faintly becomes aware that his body isn't as wet as it should be. Tremors still wracking his frame as his breathing begins to even out, he notes that he can no longer hear the sound of water hitting the shower floor. He can't recall when he moved Brooke and himself to a reclining position nor the fact that the shower floor seems infinitely soft.

A beam of sunlight dances across his face, causing Nathan to squint when he finally manages to open his eyes. Brooke is still in his arms but her back is pressed intimately close to his chest and she's trying to wiggle herself free of his possessive hold. Nathan jerks back aghast, immediately regretting the movement as a sharp pain shoots up his neck from sleeping in an awkward position with another person on the couch all night long. Brooke uses his preoccupation to break free, detangling the blanket from her body and stands on shaky legs with her back facing him. Without Brooke's warm, curvaceous body held against him Nathan feels cold, hollow and…wet? His face burns in embarrassment at the very visible stain on the back of Brooke's shorts and he doesn't need to look to his own lap to know that his still semi-hard erection protruding from his pajama bottoms are drenched in his release.

"I…um…I…Brooke?" Nathan stammers in mortification

"We have to be at school soon." the girl croaks out, quickly dashing from the room and up the stairs to her bedroom, leaving a very confused Nathan behind to ponder what just happened.

"Well God damn…"

a/n: KCSCougar makes these hilarious cartoon spoofs onto youtube, you gotta check out the aliens interrupting Prez Obama's speech, I LMAO. The term nabnob is the Trylek word for douchebag. Thanks for all of the fabulous reviews, since I can't answer them all here I'll start posting replies on my livejournal page, the link is on my profile.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Bad Girl All The Good Boys Want**

**Disclaimer: All characters are the property of The CW and Schwahn**

**Chapter 4: Something To Talk About**

"You swore you wouldn't laugh!"

"Then you set me up to fail cause that shit's hilarious!" Rachel cries, rolling onto her side and propping herself up onto her elbow. It was lunchtime and the pair spread out a blanket underneath a magnolia tree near the edge of the quad, far away from the gossipy ears of their fellow classmates. Rachel glances at Brooke's pouting and tries to subdue her laughter. "Alright, alright so what's next?"

"What do you mean, what's next? Nothing, I pretend it didn't happen and soon enough Peyton will come crawling back to him."

"Oh come on Brooke, the guy is obviously into you, I mean the _evidence_ was literally dripping down your back!" Rachel covers her snickering with a cough but the smirk spread across her face gives her away.

"He's in love with Peyton." Brooke says quietly, stirring her cup of yogurt and casting her eyes downward.

"Please," Rachel snorts, "Peyton is a whiny voice, mudslinging, gold digging tramp."

"Not cool Rach, I don't let her bad mouth you and I'd appreciate it if you'd respect my friendship with her." Brooke defends her friend, although that _was_ a pretty accurate description of the blond.

"Open your eyes Brooke, Peyton is way too jealous of you to ever truly be your friend." Rachel says not unkindly.

"What's to be jealous of?" Brooke furrows her brow in confusion, "I'm a fucking mess."

Rachel gapes at her, trying to discern if Brooke was merely fishing for compliments but the look of true disbelief spread across the brunettes face makes Rachel's blood boil for every sneaky put down by jealous bitches and neglect suffered at the hands of her parents.

"Ask any girl on this quad," Rachel snorts, shifting her eyes out into the crowd to survey their peers, "to switch places with you for one day and I guaranty you, there will be a line stretching across the football field." with a sly peek at the speechless brunette she adds, "Myself included, especially if Nathan Scott was insanely in love with me."

Brooke blushes at the backhanded compliment, bypassing the validity of the statement and chooses to focus on the one thing she knows can't be true, right?

"Nathan and I have been best friends since we were babies, in all likely hood he thinks of me as a sister."

"I may have only lived in the South for a few years but I doubt that people actually ask their _sisters_ to marry them?"

"That was…" Brooke pauses, coming up blank on how to explain away Nathan's heartfelt proposal and oath to love and protect her child from disappointed parents and the towns gossip mill. "You know that Nathan tends to go overboard, being all protective and stuff."

"Right," Rachel draws out the words skeptically and goes back to eating lunch, smirking to herself. She's going to beat it into Brooke's head that Nathan has more than _friendly_ feelings towards her, one way or another.

* * *

"So in this dream," Jake asks, his shoulders quaking with the effort to control his laughter, "were you a pizza deliver guy or a cable repairman?"

"You know, I don't even know why I bother talking to you sometimes?" Placing another ten pounds onto the bar, Nathan question his decision to skip lunch and work out his frustration in the weight room. Telling Jake about his um…'_nocturnal emissions'_, just proves he's slowly losing his mind.

"Come on man we've all been there," Nathan gives him a sharp look and Jake quickly amends his words, "imagining other girls of course. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Yeah but how many dreams have you had where you actually end up…"

"Jizzing all over the girl? Well, you got me there bro." Jake takes his position over the weight bar, ready to spot the brunette if need be.

Nathan scowls up at Jake from his reclining position on the bench but chooses to focus on beating his current weight than get into an argument.

"So what does this latest development mean for you and Peyton?" Jake just can't resist poking the tiger in the cage. Nathan surprisingly, shrugs off the question.

"After I read the article, I went over to say sorry for Dan being an ambitious ass," Nathan responds in between puffs of breath, pumping the heavy iron at a steady pace. "didn't matter, she still screamed her head off… threw my stuff outta her window… making accusations about me and Brooke… while insinuating that I have an improper relationship with my mother."

"The usual?" Jake shakes his head at the typical drama of his best friend's relationship with the blond brooder. "Didn't you explain that the main reason you went with Brooke to the ball was because her mother was trying to set her up with Cyrus 'slip her a roofie' McCallister?"

"In between dodging my stuff, by that point Peyton was too worked up to care." Nathan shakes his head, recalling his argument and breakup with Peyton yesterday. Maybe this time they'll stay broken, he silently hopes. Honestly, as bad as it sounds he's kind of relieved that she instigated their split, Nathan has been feeling for some time now that the two of them have grown apart and the only real reason he kept going back to Peyton was his fear that she might do something stupid to hurt herself.

The shrink her father made her see after her mother died, suggested that Peyton may be suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder. Nathan's not really sure what that means but Peyton uses it as a '_get out of jail free, card' _to treat her friends like shit.

Placing the weight bar back onto the stand, Jake slaps Nate's shoulder telling him to hit the showers cause their free period is almost over.

* * *

Basketball practice was particularly grueling today, Nathan notes. Not only was this the first time he'd seen Peyton all day because she skipped the three classes they shared but because the cheerleading squad shares the gym with them on Mondays. With the vivid images of last nights dream still playing in HD in his head Nathan nearly falls flat on his handsome face when Brooke waltzes into the gym in a clingy tank top flaunting her large breasts and itty bitty blue shorts with the words 'Bad Ass' scribbled across her taut cheeks. So busy admiring his best friend's ass, that he crashes right into another teammate who was also mesmerized by the beautiful cheer captain. Lucas' feet are rooted to the floor, he's openly leering at his ex and pissing Nathan off in the process. That bastard has no business eyeing Brooke after the crap he pulled a few weeks ago.

"Move your feet, Solomon Grundy!" Nathan shoves his half brother

"You ran into me not the other way around." the twerp has the balls to fire back.

"Keep it up and I'll kick your ass right back to your little shantytown." Nathan sneers, turning around to continue running laps before the coach shows up.

"Your hands go on my waist Taggaro, not my ass, if I fall I'm bringing you down with me!" Brooke threatens the Latino boy who takes his sweet time repositioning his hands to the correct place.

"Mmm, I'll go down on you any day, Davis." Felix whispers suggestively into her ear, then lifts Brooke into the air high above his head before she can reprimand him.

Brooke grinds her teeth in annoyance, ruing the day that she agreed to let that jerkoff onto her squad. But they needed the muscle and since Tree Hill High didn't have a gymnastics team, Felix's preferred sport, he opted for joining the cheerleaders mainly to gain access to the hottest girls in the school. For two years now he has been doggedly pursuing Brooke, only to be met with rejection at every turn.

Despite what the school's rumor mill would have everyone believe, Brooke has only slept with six guys. To some that may seem like one guy too many yet in comparison to the other girls in their school, who hide behind perceived innocence and promise rings, Brooke is lagging _way_ behind in the slut category. Maybe it's her comfort and confidence in her sexuality that is often mistaken for an excess of promiscuity. She knows for a fact that Theresa's conquests range in the double digits and Rachel admits that once she got her new body she went wild, bedding a different guy each week until a STD scare made her a little more selective.

Felix tosses her easily, flipping in mid-air and sticking the landing Brooke grins and turns back to watch her squads performance.

"Okay people that was good, let's go again from the top!" she claps her hands and the girls scramble to find their places, "Five, six, seven, eight and go," the front row drops to one knee, gesturing in sync, all except for one, "hang on a sec, Peyton you've got the arms wrong let me…"

"It's not brain surgery Brooke." Peyton rolls her eyes at the brunette

"Okay, what's with the attitude?" Brooke gives a short laugh, trying to down play the drama Peyton wants to create in front of the group.

"What's with your life?" Peyton snaps "Aren't you embarrassed that the most important thing in your world is some stupid cheer?"

Brooke bites back the scathing retort poised on her tongue, she takes a deep breath attempting to remain calm in light of the blonds foul mood. This mornings incident with Nathan is still weighing heavily on her mind and she feels oddly guilty for something _his_ subconscious conjured up.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out with Nathan but don't go all Mariah on me, okay?" she meant it as a joke but judging by the fire ignited behind narrow green eyes, Brooke is certain that all it did was serve to anger Peyton further.

"You think this is about Nathan?!" Peyton screeches, gaining the attention of the boys practicing as well as everyone else in the gym. Brooke sighs, knowing that an audience was exactly what Peyton was aiming for and now the frizzy haired blond intends to throw herself a pity party for all to witness. "You're not even close. You're not in the neighborhood of close."

"What's wrong?" Brooke asks, genuinely concerned

"What's wrong is how pointless this all is." The girl whines

"Stop saying that." the despair in the other girl's voice is truly beginning to frighten Brooke. Unbidden, her mind flashes to a memory last year when Peyton called her in the middle of the night, crying about missing her dead mom and coked out of her skull.

"No, because it's true! What difference does it make if you sleep with a popular guy or you go to the right party or you know the right moves to some moronic cheer to do at some lame ass game I could care less…"

"Enough Peyton!" Brooke's shout echoes throughout the now silent gym, her anger finally simmering to a boil overrides any concern she may have felt. Peyton wants to make her latest tantrum personal, Brooke may feel bad about her conflicting feelings towards Nathan but she'll be damned if she let's Peyton turn everything around and make her fucked up relationship Brooke's fault. "You're not the only one with problems, Bevin's dad is in the hospital but she still chose to show up, Sonya is still recovering from knee surgery yet here she is making an effort. I bet every person here can name at least one thing that's wrong in their lives, the only difference is _they_ don't want to wallow in misery and drag everyone else with them. So if you want to talk about it, practice is over in twenty-nine minutes but if you wanna continue to phone it in, causing more work for the rest of us, then…you know where the door is." she finishes quietly.

Peyton gawps at the brunette who stares back at her with firm determination. Brooke has never spoken to her like that in front of other people before and out of the corner of her eye she spies Rachel with a self satisfied smirk pasted on her face. It's all that redheaded bitch's fault that she no longer has the upper hand in her friendship with Brooke. Since Rachel arrived on the scene, midway through freshman year, she has delighted in driving a wedge between the two of them.

Sensing that all eyes were focused on her, Peyton realizes that in order to protect her reputation she can't back down, even if it means taking one more step away from a ten year friendship.

"Fine," the blond snarls, tossing her pompoms to the ground she stomps over to the bleachers to grab her bag. Swinging around, she huffs indignantly as Brooke and Rachel draws the squads attention back to the routine as if that little showdown didn't just take place. The squeaking of her sneakers over the polished floor mocking her and she virtually kicks the door open to make the most dramatic exit ever.

"Alright ladies," Coach Durham's gruff voice rings out over the sound of the gym door slamming shut, and the team immediately falls into line, "if you're finish watching soap operas, let's run the zones. Scott number one, you're at the point."

Lucas makes his way to the designated spot but Nathan calls out to the coach stopping him in his tracks

"Actually Coach, Jake, Tim and I have been working on a few new plays, we were hoping to show you if that's alright?"

Whitey considers the younger Scott boy for a moment, he's not as dumb as they assume, he knows that adding Lucas to the team has caused a major shift in Tree Hill High's popularity hierarchy. More importantly, Whitey also sees the longing stares that each Scott brother casts at the Davis girl, adding propane to an already raging inferno of competitiveness all because their father chose to praise one child and ignore the other. _'Damn you sperm Danny!'_ "Okay," Whitey concedes, "let's see what ya got." the three boys get into position, showing their counterparts where to line up.

Lucas throws a contemptuous glare at Nathan's smirking face. Lucas is being phased out yet again and Nathan's getting away with it. As he studies the play his anger rises when it becomes apparent that this is an aggressive offense drill that requires the point guard to drive through the lane instead of taking the three pointer. '_Fuck_!' Lucas has to admit, his brother is getting more creative in his plans to sideline him.

a/n: This one is short but I wanted to get it out because the next chapter will probable cover several days. Thanks to all who reviewed, I wanted to thank a few personally but this site is being weird again and not listing the new reviews, anyhow thank you everyone I am really loving this pairing now.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Bad Girl All The Good Boys Want**

**A/N: Okay this one is really short but its been sitting on my hard drive since forever and my new bestie Kimmie assured me that ending on a sort of cliffhanger was fine. I have a lighter workload this week so I'm trying to get a couple of my WIP's updated, if I can work out a few details another chapter will be coming soon.**

**Disclaimer: All characters are the property of the CW and Schwahn**

**Chapter 5: "This is high school, Detective Cruz. What is a friend anyway?"**

_The memory of that dream has been haunting Nathan's every waking moment, images of soapy water running down her curvy body drawing his eyes to the Chinese symbol tattoo on her right hip. He can vividly recall the night she marred her perfect body, they snuck off to a rave in Jacksonville and in between the copious amounts of alcohol the pair imbibed, Brooke took a hit of ecstasy and began to dance seductively, drawing a crowd. He turned his head for a second to squelch Peyton's constant whining and she was gone. _

_Twenty panic induced minutes later and he located Brooke at a tattoo parlor down the road, draped over the chair as a leather clad biker named Crusher inked her lovely skin. Nathan yelled at her the entire car ride home and when he dropped her off in front of her bright red door, instead of being annoyed at his over protectiveness Brooke kissed his cheek and thanked him for coming to look for her. _

"_You're my hero, Nathan Royal Scott." she slurred her words, gazing dreamily at him_

"_You don't need a hero Brooke," he rolled his eyes, taking her keys from unsteady fingers and unlocking the door, "you need an armed guard."_

"_Well then let me amend my statement," cupping his face with her soft little hands she forces him to stare directly into her strangely intense hazel eyes, "you are my guardian angel Nathan Scott."_

* * *

He could only go two days without seeing her, now that's pathetic. As he tries to lean casually against the hard cement wall outside of Mr. Mancini's Physic's class, Nathan considers popping a couple of Rolaids to exterminate those infuriating butterflies fluttering around his stomach. The bell chimes loudly over his head, signaling the end of 7th period, Nathan straightens his polo shirt, cups his hand over his mouth to check for bad breath all while pepping himself up to speak with his best friend.

"Hey Nate, what's up?" Brooke emerges from the classroom looking radiant.

"Nothing really, Mrs. Thompson was out last period so I went to the weight room for a quick workout."

"Have you seen Peyton, I think she cut out early again?"

"After that stunt she pulled at practice Monday, I'm surprised you're even talking to her?"

"She's my friend Nate, I still care about her."

"Even when she acts like a first rate bitch?" Nathan smirks, causing Brooke to smile reluctantly.

"In spite of the fact that she acts like a first rate bitch, besides you're one to talk, she's your girlfriend, who's the masochist now, huh?" Brooke laughs, poking him in the ribs with her finger.

"Actually, we broke up." awkwardly scratching the back of his neck, Nathan had meant to slowly lead up to that little factoid.

"You did?" Brooke question dubiously as she turns the combination to her locker.

"For good this time, things haven't been right between us for a long time now, _feelings_ haven't been right."

"I'm not exactly sure what to say to that. Sorry, I guess?"

"S'alright, I'm a ball, I'll bounce back." and Nathan was certain he would too. Sure, he and Peyton have been like Sid and Nancy for the past two years but all of her dramatic meltdowns have grown stale and Nathan is more than eager to move on. "So what do you have planned for tonight?"

"Rachel's badgering me to finish a few sketches, she's threatened to handcuff me to my drafting table if I don't get cracking. It'd be amusing if I didn't know for a fact that her skanky ass owns several pairs of handcuffs." Brooke chuckles, thinking back to last week when she rummaged through her best friend's closet looking for a pair of Mary Jane Prada's and instead stumbled upon the redhead's box of kink. "Anyway, I'm pretty psyched cause they loved my sketches and they're letting me design one of the wings for the Victoria's Secret show in December. What about you?"

"Hey guys!"

Marvin Mc Fadden, techno geek extraordinaire has always had the worst timing. Nathan inclines his head in greeting to his friend all the while hoping that whatever Mouth's reasons for interrupting his conversation with Brooke can be summed up within a few seconds.

"Nate, glad I caught you, I just finished editing your game footage if you want to take a look?"

"Now's not a good time Mouth…" Nathan attempts to put him off but Mouth is insistent.

"It'll only take a half hour, the sooner we get it done the sooner you can send the dvd off to prospective colleges." Mouth chews on his lower lip nervously. He can clearly see Nathan fighting an internal battle with himself and he feels awful that he's manipulating his friend this way but one glance at Brooke and Nathan's displeasure at not being able to hang out with the brunette, the tension forming in Mouth's shoulders eases a bit.

Rachel, per usual, was right. Brooke and Nathan are this close to being an item. The two are so obviously trying to deny what is right in front of their faces and with a little meddling from their friends they should be happily ensconced in a relationship by Thanksgiving. Phase one of Rachel's plan was fairly simple: keep Nathan occupied for at least an hour after school while Bevin distracts Brooke.

Mouth didn't bother to ask why Rachel requested that he take Nathan someplace were they couldn't hear his cell ring and he definitely choose to ignore the pair of wire cutters the redhead stuffed into her SUV's glove department.

"I'll catch up with you later Nate, I gotta meet up with Bevin before I head home." Brooke waves as she saunters down the hall on her way to the parking lot, "bye Mouth."

A bit sullen, Nathan follows Mouth to the A/V room.

* * *

Pulling the big red tow truck to the side of the road, Lucas exhales deeply, staring into the rearview mirror at the angry curly haired blond leaning against a vintage Mercury Comet.

"It's about time you showed up!" the girl snaps the second he steps out of the truck.

Lucas ignores the biting comments as he starts to attach the car up to the pulley but when she continues to sulk he sends Peyton to wait in the truck until he's finished. Sliding into the cab beside her, Lucas freezes at the sight of the crumbled article from last Sunday's paper held tightly in the girl's fist. She's staring forlornly at the picture of her best friend and boyfriend happily dancing close together, looking to all the world as if they were truly, madly in love. Lucas opens his mouth to say something consoling to the sad girl but as quick as lightening, her face is a blank slate and the wall is back in place.

"Hey Holden Caulfield, we driving or what?!"

He doesn't rise to the bait, choosing to get her car back to his uncle Keith's body shop a.s.a.p

"Do you want me to drop you off home or…?"

"Right, so you can collect your fee by a quick tumble in the sack?" the girl harshly snorts, "Sorry, you've got the wrong cheerleader, buddy."

"But you're no longer a cheerleader, not after that little tantrum you threw at practice on Monday." Lucas knows it's bad to sink to Peyton Sawyer's level but damn if it doesn't feel good to wipe that annoying superior smirk off of her face.

"This must suck for you?" With an evil grin, Peyton holds up the offending newspaper that Lucas has obsessed over more times than he can count in the past three days.

"No more so than for you." he manages to say through gritted teeth. Not giving her a chance to retort he cranks up the stereo, letting the Foo Fighters, 'Monkey Wrench' serenade them back into town. Out of the corner of his eye he can see her shooting surreptitious glances at him but ignores it in favor of focusing on the winding road ahead.

Soon enough he's pulling up to the curb of her house, resisting the urge to yank open the door and kick her boney ass out. Peyton stares at her two story home for a moment, then she turns abruptly in her seat, a frown marring her pretty features.

"She wasn't apart of it, you know." she says softly.

"Huh?" Lucas mutters in confusion. He had expected her to ask how did he know where she lived and it takes a minute to realize Peyton's speaking a truth he's been dying to hear for weeks.

"I've known Brooke for years and I've seen her do some pretty messed up stuff just for the hell of it, but she'd never be intentionally cruel to someone she cares about. That whole game reeks of Taggaro's lame ass."

"But Haley said that Tim…?"

"Tim's a wannabe," Peyton snorts, "a dimwitted leech that attaches himself to anybody he thinks will make him look cool. I don't know why he tried to force his way into the game in the first place, its not like any girl would be desperate enough to sleep with him," Peyton pauses, chuckling to herself, "_unless_ his plan was to get Felix so drunk that he'd let Tim blow him. Maybe you should ask yourself why that tutor-girl was so anxious to break you and Brooke up in the first place."

And on that note, Peyton slips out of the tow truck, heading into her house without so much as a backwards glance, leaving a confused Lucas behind to reexamine his oldest friendship.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Bad Girl All The Good Boys Want**

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of the CW and Schwahn

**Chapter 6: I Wish I Was Your Lover**

The car comes to a screeching stop, causing Peyton's skeletal body to lurch forward, the safety-belt keeping her from plunging head first through the windshield. _'God, I'll be glad when my car is fixed!'_, she thought, even though the problem had been found and solved immediately following an inspect by Keith Scott, the mechanic seemed to be under the impression that a wire was intentionally cut.

Mainly because the culprit went out of their way to make it seem like it naturally occurred and because it was such a benign wire ( not the brake or fuel lines) that wouldn't cause serious damage just likely to put her car out of commission for a while, Keith decided to keep her car an extra day to double check for safety reasons. Peyton had a few good guesses as to who this mysterious bandit was.

"Alright, we're here," Ellie announces, taking a deep breath and waiting patiently for her moody step-daughter to work up the courage to face her friends, " you plan on getting out or are you going to cheer from the car?"

"This was a mistake, I should just leave." It had taken a boatload of courage just to slip on this uniform and now that she's sitting outside the gym, Peyton is scared shitless of being turned away because of her outburst.

"Peyton, you can't hide out forever. Look, you and Brooke have been friends for years, how many of these silly fights have you guys had?"

"This one was different."

"Why, because she told you to stop acting like a brat and undermining her authority in front of the squad? If you ask me, that was _long_ overdue."

"No…well partly…but this time I think I really screwed things up for good. She didn't come find me, I was out of school for two days and she didn't bother to come see if I was okay. Normally if we have a fight, Brooke will give me a day to cool off then she'll wave a white flag and we'll call a truce."

"Maybe Brooke didn't initiate a cease fire because she wasn't the one in the wrong here Peyton. Kiddo, I love you but sometimes you make it a little hard for people to even like you."

"I tried to make things better," Peyton argues, "I even told her weirdo stalker ex, that Felix made Tim lie about Brooke using him just to break them up."

"So Brooke could have just been busy working things out with the Scott boy and when she learns that you helped them resolve whatever their issues were, I'm sure Brooke will make time to hang out with you." Ellie's grasping at straws and she knows it but really Peyton and Brooke have a strange love/hate friendship that sometimes borders on outright hostility. But they have always managed to patch things up in the end, so she's holding out hope that they will once again be the two giggly girls that used to be attached at the hip.

"Doubtful," the young blond snorts, "Brooke spent a lot of time with Rachel and her latest chew toy when she was dating Lucas, if they are back together then I have to get in line behind him, the Redheaded Menace, then Nathan and probably Mouth at this point."

"Sorry, but this pity party you've been throwing yourself is tiresome Peyton. Just go in there, prove to your friend that you still care, Brooke has stayed by your side through a lot, I'm sure she won't let anything come between you two."

"Hoes ova Bro's." Peyton half-heartily mutters, looking forlornly at the entrance to the gym.

"Peyton, can I ask you a question without you getting weird and defensive?" Ellie eyes her step-daughter carefully and from the young girl's hands nervously fiddling with the zipper of her gymbag, it's obvious to the teen what question will be posed. "Do you have more than friendly feelings for Brooke? Cause if you do, its okay."

"_No_," Peyton scoffs at the absurdity of the question, "why would you even think that?"

"Well, your behavior is more in line with a scorned lover rather than just a really good friend."

"Why do people always assume that the reason I'm mad at Brooke is because she won't sleep with me?! I'm so sick of them talking about our 'weird lesbian energy', or whatever."

"So much for not getting defensive." Ellie mutters to herself.

"Sorry, its just…never mind. Thanks for the ride." gathering her things, Peyton exists the car, giving her stepmother a lame half wave as she heads towards the Field House.

* * *

"**What. The. Fuck?!"** Rachel exclaims as the blond tries to slip into her usual spot undetected. Rising from her deep stretch she struts over to Peyton who's attempting to ignore the redhead towering over her. "Someone wanna tell me what Goldielocks thinks she's doing here?"

The other cheerleaders stare blankly back at her, unsure if she actually wants an answer.

"Oh, I think Peyton's stretching so she doesn't pull anything." Bevin helpfully explains

"Thank you Bev." rolling her eyes at Bevin who's happy that she got the correct answer, never mind that the question was rhetorical.

"It's game night." Peyton simply states, cause honestly she's skipped out before and still shown up on game night and Brooke's never made a fuss about it.

"Yes, I deduced from the 'Go Team Go!' banners that some sort of sporting event was scheduled for tonight but why should that concern you?"

"I am a cheerleader."

"Oh no, no, no not since you threw that _Divalicious_ fit and stomped out of here last week, Daisy has your spot so why don't you take off that uniform and join the rejects in the stands!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Peyton rises to her feet, finally getting fed up with Rachel's attitude, "but I believe this is a Cheerocracy, you don't have the authority to kick me off the squad, Gattina!"

"I am Co-Captain!" Rachel boasts, flicking her fingers across the '**C**' on the top right corner of her uniform to illustrate her point. "That gives me more than enough authority to send your scrawny ass packing, Sawyer."

"Yeah, the key word being _**Co**_, you can't make any decisions without Brooke's say so." Peyton gloats as Rachel blanches for a second knowing that the blond has a point but the red head recovers quickly, a sly smirk slides across her face as her eyes focus on something behind the other girl.

"Since you want to be all bipartisan, why don't we put it to a vote right now?"

"What's going on?" Brooke asks joining the standoff between her closest friends.

"Bleach bottle Barbie here decided that after skipping two practices, she would grace us with her presence and if we're lucky, she'll even cheer with us pointless lower beings." The redhead snarls.

Brooke throws Rachel her patented 'Behave Yourself', look before turning a leveling gaze onto Peyton. The blond tries not to squirm under those intense hazel eyes that are currently measuring the fate of their friendship. After what seems like an eternity Brooke heaves a great sigh, finally coming to a decision.

"While I am glad that you're back Peyt, I have to sideline you for tonight's game. If you had been at yesterday's practice then you would have learned the new routine we all spent several hours perfecting, I bumped Daisy to your spot when it became clear that you weren't going to show, she's been doing a great job. So, if you want to be in the starting lineup again then I need for you to put in as much effort as everyone else and maybe you can get your spot back."

Not exactly the answer she was hoping for but at least Brooke didn't kick her out in front of the rapidly filling gym. Peyton bobs her head, encouraged by the small smile on Brooke's face and with a final glare to Rachel, she takes her seat on the bench with the second string cheerleaders as the ref calls the teams to the floor.

* * *

Another win for Tree Hill High, Nathan and Jake were on fire tonight and Nate can't keep the cocky smirk off of his face as he and his best bud exit the locker room to find their friends waiting for them.

"Happy B-Day, B. Dav," Nathan smiles as Brooke spins around to face him.

"Why Nathanial, that wouldn't happen to be for me, now would it?" Jutting her chin towards the sparkly baby blue envelope held tight in his hand. Nathan pulls the envelop out of reach laughing at the brunette's earnest attempts to capture her early birthday present.

"What, this? What's the magic words?" He taunts

"I have nude baby pictures of you." Brooke counters, laughing maniacally as he mock glares at her but hands over the envelope anyway. Mouth dropping open in shock, her earsplitting squeal of delight resounding loudly throughout the gym and Brooke launches herself into Nathan's awaiting arms.

"I can't believe you got me front row tickets to Fashion Week in L.A. Nathan this is…thank you." she tears up at such a thoughtful gift.

"Uncle Coop dated one of the producers for the event, I told him I needed to get you a really awesome present for your 18th birthday so…" He shrugs in that adorably way of his.

"Well, the next time you see Hot Uncle Cooper, you tell him I said he's awesome."

"Not as awesome as me, I hope?"

"No one is as awesome as you, Scotty." her voice lowers to a husky purr unintentionally but Nathan is pleased none the less and stands a few inches taller.

"He's also letting us crash at his place, Rachel's gonna book our flight tonight, this is a three day trip Davis so keep the luggage to a minimum. I nearly threw my back out the last time I had to lug your heavy ass bags around the airport."

"Hey I told you to get a porter but nooo, you didn't want anyone to touch your bag containing your precious jersey." Brooke mocks

Lucas watches, jealous of the comfortable teasing and clear flirtation between his ex-girlfriend and his half-brother. How he longed to be the one who could touch her hip lightly, playfully tug at those incredibly soft tendrils of hair and receive a mega watt smile for an amazing birthday gift. He himself had planned to anonymously leave a present on her doorstep tonight, it was a rare book one of his favorites written by a poet Brooke probably never heard of but he secretly hoped she would appreciate.

In retrospect, it seems like a gift he would enjoy most, she would end up using it as a tattered old doorstopper. Nathan's present, though flashy and expensive, was thoughtful and exactly what an inspiring fashion designer would love. Luke catches Nathan's eye over Brooke's shoulder as he passes the two brunettes locked in another hug. The smirk reflected on his younger brother's face confirms what Luke already knows, he's been out maneuvered once again.

At the end of the 1st quarter the scoreboard stands: N. Scott 2 L. Scott 0, this was going to be one Hell of a season.

* * *

She was purring, she was _actually_ purring like a fucking sated cat in her sleep! Why does the universe insist upon torturing him?

"Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me!" Nathan groans in agony, looking down at the tented sheet covering his lower body. He hasn't had so many spontaneous erections around a girl since he was 11 years old, interestingly enough, that girl also happened to be Brooke.

Cautiously sliding his left shoulder from under the brunette who was currently using him as a pillow, Nathan gingerly slips out of bed and tiptoes over to the bathroom. Closing the door with infinite care he stifles a laugh at the soft snoring coming from his bedmate. It always amazed him that no one ever balked at him and Brooke sharing a bed, though his mother tends to politely turn a blind eye to the fact that a gorgeous 17 year old girl spends more time in his bedroom than her own, his father seems to delight in pushing the two of them together. Dan's probably hoping that Brooke gets pregnant which would solidify his plans to infiltrate the Peabody-Davis family, with that kind a money and connections Dan would almost be guaranteed a victory when he runs for Congress. Shaking the thoughts of his fathers' greed and ambition from his head, Nathan casts his eyes downward to the dilemma at hand, a very noticeable protrusion in his boxer briefs.

'Christ, this is embarrassing,' he bemoans as he runs the usual list of things that would normally deflate a hard-on in a heartbeat, but the fragments of his latest dream keeps spilling over and its only making matters worst. Finally giving up, Nathan presses his ear to the bathroom door, listening for Brooke's quiet breath sounds, then heads for the medicine cabinet in search of the proper equipment.

Standing over the toilet he feels like a leech as he peels back the waistband of his underwear with one hand and slides the other lotion greased palm through the wiry patch of dark curls and firmly grasps his aching cock. Nathan chokes back a strangled moan of elation at the much needed contact of his large fist against engorged flesh, of course he'd much rather prefer a soft, smaller hand wrapped around him but at this moment he'll take what he can get. An image of Brooke fast asleep in his bed, her normally perfect hair mussed, the fabric of his white wife beater barely concealing her harden nipples and her face free from worry over being Tree Hills number 1 daughter, brings a smile to his face and his hips jerk erratically to keep up with his hand's tempo.

'It won't be long now,' Nathan surmises as a sliver of pleasure inches up the base of his spine and his lower stomach begins to tighten. Resting a hand against the wall in front of him, his head drops forward as he continues to stroke his throbbing cock. His beautiful blue eyes snaps shut, toes curling on the cold tiled floor and his back arches painfully at the orgasm that rips through his muscular frame. He's given up all pretenses of keeping quiet, stroking out the last couple of seconds of pleasure before he softens. With his heartbeat pounding in his ears, Nathan doesn't hear the soft knocks on the bathroom door, nor in his languid state can he find the energy to tuck himself away, so of course this is how Brooke finds Nathan: standing over the toilet, his boxer briefs pushed past his nicely firmed ass, hand gripping his cock, all while breathlessly panting his best friend's name.

A/N: Its been forever since I've updated anything, I've been super blocked and so utterly obsessed with another fandom that I haven't read any OTH fic in almost two weeks. Plus the show is currently a flaming bag of poo and giving me no desire to even try to salvage something enjoyable out of it but I got a really great review yesterday and decided to make an update on all of my fics, even the ones that only have about 1,000 words written, just to get back into the flow. So thanks to everyone who is still interested in reading.


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